As Maryland begins to ramp up its medical marijuana program, state officials may want to consider some lessons learned from the city of Washington, D.C., where -- surprisingly -- demand so far has been low.

"It's not about getting high at all," said Rabbi Jeffrey Kahn, who started the family-run dispensary six months ago for personal reasons. "We are getting the chance to help people who weren't able to access the medicine they need."

The inspiration came from Kahn's dad, Jules, who had multiple sclerosis, as well as his mother-in-law, Libby, who had been diagnosed with stage-four lung cancer. Their doctors quietly recommended medical marijuana to ease their suffering.

"We didn't know anybody who knew anybody," Kahn said.

The dispensary offers several strains of medical marijuana. Measured quantities of THC and CPD content are available to address specific ailments and dosages. There's also a large collection of pipes, bongs and vaporizers to make ingestion easier.

The center also has a machine that turns the plant into butter or oil for cooking, and there is a library of cookbooks.

But the only thing the dispensary lacks is patients.

"We thought we would see more patients by now. We had hoped to see maybe twice as many patients than we have seen in the first six months of the program," Kahn said.

Dispensaries: Restrictions likely the problem

Instead, they've only seen 35. Kahn said he believes restrictions are the problem. Patients can only get prescriptions from a doctor with whom they've had an ongoing relationship and only if they suffer from one of four conditions: HIV/AIDS, glaucoma, cancer or severe muscle spasms.

Patients must also register with the Health Department and show a district ID card to pass through security.

"It's frustrating when there are so many road blocks along the way when we know what we are doing is really helpful," Kahn said.

He said physicians are reluctant to refer patients out of fear of federal prosecution, and banks won't accept money from his business because the feds still consider marijuana an illegal drug.

"It is rather annoying when a bank thinks that you are part of criminal activity when you are not," Kahn said.

He said he will donate all the profits from his medical marijuana dispensary to local charities.

Maryland could learn from D.C.'s pitfalls

Maryland's medical marijuana law is even more restrictive, but there is an opportunity to learn from D.C., 11 News I-Team reporter David Collins said.

An academic medical research center is supposed to run the Maryland program, although none have expressed interest so far. A commission created to set up regulations still hasn't determined what medical conditions qualify for treatment, nor have they established a funding mechanism or guidelines for growing marijuana.

"I am breaking Maryland law because Maryland's law is unjust," said medical marijuana user Barry Considine, who is living with post-polio syndrome. "It's a painful condition."

He said because he's a Maryland resident, he isn't eligible to participate in D.C.'s medical marijuana program, and he's not waiting for the state to get its act together.

Considine said he experiences excruciating muscle spasms and is in pain from mid -spine to pelvis. He said marijuana he gets from the black market helps ease his suffering.

"I want to have the pharmaceuticals in my arsenal. I just don't want them to be my everyday medicine," Considine said.

He said he hopes as Maryland ramps up its program, the state learns from D.C.'s disappointing experiment.

Meanwhile, a bill intended to help get Maryland's medical marijuana program off the ground is expected to be introduced sometime this week in the General Assembly.

THERE ARE NO PRESENT PLANS TO RELOCATE THE PRINCE GEORGE COUNTY FACILITY. AS MARYLAND RAMP UP ITS MEDICAL MARIJUANA PROBE ON -- PROGRAM, THEY MAY WANT TO CONSIDER LESSONS FROM WASHINGTON DC. WE GET THE STORY FROM DAVID COLLINS. THE TACOMA WILL SMITH CENTER -- THE TAKOMA WELLNESS CENTER IS ONE OF THE FIRST SPENCER IS TO OPEN IN WASHINGTON DC. HE STARTED THE DISPENSARY SIX MONTHS AGO FOR PERSONAL REASONS. WE WANTED TO HELP PEOPLE ACCESS THE MEDICINE THEY NEED. THE INSPIRATION CAME FROM HIS DAD WHO HAD MS. THE DOCTORS QUIETLY RECOMMENDED MEDICAL MARIJUANA. WE DIDN'T KNOW ANYBODY WHO KNEW ANYBODY. DISPENSARY OFFER SEVERAL STRAINS. A DAY OR NIGHT BLEND. DIFFERENT QUANTITIES OF THC ARE AVAILABLE. THERE IS A LARGE COLLECTION OF PIPES, BONGS, AND VAPORIZERS. THE MACHINE TURNS THE PLANT INTO BUTTER OR OIL FOR COOKING. THERE IS A LIBRARY OF COOKBOOKS. THE ONLY THING THE DISPENSARY LACKS HIS PATIENTS -- IS PATIENTS. WITHOUT WE WOULD SEE MORE PATIENTS. -- WE THOUGHT WE WOULD SEE MORE PATIENTS. HE BELIEVES RESTRICTIONS ARE THE PROBLEM. THEY CAN ONLY GET PRESCRIPTIONS FROM A DOCTOR WITH AN ONGOING RELATIONSHIP AND ONLY IF THEY SUFFER FROM FOUR CONDITIONS. THEY MUST REGISTER WITH THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT AND SHOW DISTRICT ID CARD. IT IS FRUSTRATING WHEN WE KNOW WHAT WE'RE DOING IS HELPFUL. PHYSICIANS ARE RELUCTANT TO REFER PATIENTS OUT OF FEAR OF FEDERAL PROSECUTION. IT IS RATHER ANNOYING WHEN THE FEDS THINK YOU ARE A CRIMINAL ACTIVITY. MEDICAL -- MARYLAND'S LAW IS MORE RESTRICTIVE. BUT THERE IS THE CHANCE TO LEARN FROM DC. A COMMISSION SET UP TO SET UP REGULATIONS -- THEY HAVE NOT ESTABLISHED GUIDELINES FOR GROWING. I AM BREAKING MARYLAND'S LAW BECAUSE THE LAW IS UNJUST. HE LIVES WITH POSTPOLIO SYNDROME. IS A PAINFUL CONDITION. HE ASKED. HIS -- HE EXPERIENCES MUSCLES BY THOSE LOANS -- MUSCLE SPASMS. I WANT TO HAVE THE PHONICS WHO CALLS -- PHARMACEUTICALS IN MY ARSENAL. HE HOPES THE STATE LEARNS FROM D.C.'S DISAPPOINTING EXPERIENCE. JUST AS HE WILL DONATE THE PROFITS FROM HIS DISPENSARY TO LOCAL CHARITIES.

A bizarre situation is unfolding in Baltimore in which people are paying rent to a landlord who claims he's helping fill the need for affordable housing, but there are serious questions about the living conditions inside, as well as who actually owns the homes.